


Answers

by OTPsaisa



Category: Rurouni Kenshin
Genre: Flashback, Hokkaido arc, Jinchuu Arc, Kissing, Language, M/M, No established relationship, Pre-Relationship, Spoilers
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-11-16
Updated: 2020-11-16
Packaged: 2021-03-09 21:47:51
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,935
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27592943
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/OTPsaisa/pseuds/OTPsaisa
Summary: Spoiler warning.After returning to Japan and fighting a member of the Kenkaku Heiki, Sanosuke shows up on Saitou's doorstep late one evening. He has a question and wants answers.
Relationships: Sagara Sanosuke/Saitou Hajime
Comments: 3
Kudos: 14





	Answers

**Author's Note:**

> Some slight spoilers ahead-
> 
> Takes place during the Hokkaido arc, references part of the Jinchuu arc. If you haven't read either, you've been warned.

The knocking was unexpected and incessant. No one would be out this late, knocking on _his_ door, unless the matter was urgent or the person were a fool. Opening the door did little to ease his curiosity, but very much confirmed the foolishness awaiting him, as the bruised face of a grinning roosterhead was revealed. 

"Ahou, do you realize what time it is?" Saitou huffed, cool air chilling his skin as he hadn't bothered with putting on a shirt after washing up and turning in for the night. His slinged arm was annoying enough to manage without the added stress of wrestling himself into unnecessary articles of clothing. 

"Yeah, yeah. But you're awake so..." Sanosuke's shrug was small, reaching only half of himself in an awkward movement and drawing Saitou's attention to his right side–which was hidden beneath a casually draped jacket. Gaze dropping lower, he realized why it had looked so strange; Sanosuke was the kind of person who's emotions ran rampant the length of his body, from top to toe, no matter how ridiculous it could make him appear. Injured as Sanosuke was though, it must have been too painful to do much more than offer a weak roll of his left shoulder as his right arm was wrapped with professional precision and tucked into a sling mirroring Saitou's own. It was held close to a similarly bandaged chest and abdomen, where the bindings were the same crisp white against his skin. Sanosuke raised the sake jug in his left hand high and Saitou noted its size was almost equal to the rooster's head. "Misery loves company?"

"I don't drink." Saitou retreated into the room with a huff, abandoning the night breeze to return to his place at the low table he had previously occupied. He chose to ignore Sanosuke as he glanced once more over the maps and papers arranged before him. Sanosuke took it as a silent invitation, considering the wolf hadn't verbally or physically thrown him out on his ass, and followed the man in. He slid shut the door, struggling clumsily as his only good hand was already occupied. 

"Then I'll drink enough for the both of us!" Sanosuke gave another partial shrug, still grinning like a buffoon as he sat cross-legged, leaning his back against the wall across from the table and a few paces away from Saitou. Sanosuke rolled the jug in his hand a moment before setting it down within reach.

"I see you haven't changed at all." A dark look beneath equally dark lashes was given and those narrowed eyes should've been intimidating. Clearly that gaze wasn't as effective as it would have been if directed at any other man, but Saitou _knew_ Sanosuke and Sanosuke was possibly far too oblivious to realize the potential danger so blatantly on display. 

"Come on, man. _Five years_ and you're _still_ a dick, what gives?" Though the words were grumbled in annoyance, Sanosuke maintained his childishly cheerful demeanor, rolling his eyes as his head shook side to side in disbelief.

"You're a fool for expecting anything less." Saitou continued to look up at him from beneath his brows, head lowered, as his right hand blindly reached for and quickly found his package of cigarettes.

"I'm not sure what I was expecting..." Laughter softly interrupting as he gathered his thoughts, "but after what happened the last time I saw you..." Sanosuke's words and accompanying amusement trailed off, eyes scanning the room to avoid looking at Saitou. 

"Hn?" Saitou knew where this was leading and held his tongue.

"You kissed me that day and I haven't been able to figure out why..." The words were so quiet that Saitou's hand froze in its ascent to his lips, cigarette caught firmly between two fingers, to halt any noise that would threaten to drown them out. 

_Sanosuke could do nothing but watch as time slowed and the knot in his stomach grew; he was too far away to intervene as a gunshot was fired, hitting Kenshin and causing him to reel back as blood sprayed the ground before him. It was Kaoru who stepped in then, bracing herself as a shield between Woo Heishin, his damned gun, and Kenshin. Sanosuke's heart dropped further as he started forward, only to be caught by strong fingers clenched with bruising force around his bicep._

_"Wait, ahou."_

_Sanosuke turned to Saitou and, in the face of the older man's stoicism, was uncaring of his own overt display of anxiety as it joined the anger that had become a permanent fixture upon their arrival on Enishi's island. He stammered his objection when he finally found use of his tongue again, "but... Kaoru!"_

_It was Enishi who stepped in, punching the little man in the face and sending him into a tree, in a way Sanosuke_ wholly _approved of, before cocking his fist back and preparing to strike again. Kenshin stopped the insane man before a killing blow could be dealt and words were exchanged, though Sanosuke could not hear; whether his inability to hear was due to the distance between them or the overwhelming thundering of his racing heart, he wasn't sure. He was reminded again of the presence beside him when the hand on his arm tightened, yanking him around to face Saitou and an unreadable expression before lips tasting of tobacco met his so fast he failed to react before the cop was pulling away._

 _"Saitou?" Sanosuke was dumbfounded and could only stand there, gaping open-mouthed like a fish, as Saitou withdrew as quickly as he came, releasing Sanosuke's arm and turning away from him. Distress came next as he watched Saitou walk further inland, towards the settling commotion, and Sanosuke shot a look around at the others, expecting a gasp from Megumi or for Yahiko and Misao to freak out, but he found no one was even looking at him. At least no one other than Aoshi who, a moment later, sent him a cold glance and a raised eyebrow._ 'Of course, nothing gets by him...' __

_That had been it. Saitou kissed him and walked away, saying nothing more, outside of the usual snide remarks, as boats arrived and policemen poured out onto the beach. Sanosuke was so confused and that confusion had followed him back to Tokyo and even further as he fled Japan, not to be seen for five years._

_He had so many questions._

"And?" A slim brow raised as Saitou finally brought the cigarette to rest between his lips and lit a match; inhaling, he willed the lonely butterfly in his stomach to drop dead. 

"I just said... 'Why'? Something tells me _Saitou Hajime_ doesn't go around _kissing_ just anyone." Either Sanosuke had been drinking before his arrival or he didn't need sake to loosen his tongue for such a topic, Saitou mused; the jug sitting untouched beside him. 

"Because I wanted to." Saitou's tone was indifferent, per usual, as he gave his own little half shrug on a hazy exhale. It earned him a scowl.

"That's really it? What, you were overcome with emotion, wanted a kiss, and I was the closest thing for you to grab? Talk about being caught up in the moment." Sanosuke's voice was stern, uninterested in jokes or beating around the bush. Saitou had only seen him this serious during combat as he analyzed enemies and their intentions, more perceptive than Saitou preferred to give him credit, and he knew it would be an avoidable headache to draw this out any longer. Gone was the nineteen year old boy who demanded through his fists and before Saitou sat a twenty-four year old man who deserved to have his question answered. 

"I wanted to kiss _you_ , ahou." Saitou's voice was low as he copied Sanosuke's earlier hushed tone and forced him to quiet his aggitated grumbling and listen closely. The silence that followed was heavy and it made Saitou uncomfortable in a way few things could. "Did it offend you so much?"

"No... I just... didn't understand." Wait, _there_ was the boy Saitou had first met; wide eyed wonder returning youth to Sanosuke's world-hardened face as the words registered, something like awe settling in his features. "You know, I thought about it nonstop the whole time I was overseas... you friggin' haunted me."

"I've been told I have that effect." A smile teased around the butt of his cigarette as he watched Sanosuke's gaze drop to his lips before their eyes met again. 

"Maybe you really did die in Kyoto and you're actually a ghost, just hanging around to confuse the hell out of me." The toothy grin returned, reaching Sanosuke's eyes and lighting up his entire face despite the bruises darkening his cheeks. 

"You flatter yourself. And don't be stupid, Himura and the others can see me, you know." Saitou's eyes rolled with an exasperated sigh as he snubbed out his cigarette in a nearby ash tray. Internally, he was smiling. _'Still an idiot.'_

"Or you're just really good at being a ghost." Laughing, Sanosuke finally cracked the seal on the sake and raised it to his lips, pulling straight from the bottle since Saitou had rejected his offer to share.

"Well then, ahou. If I'm a ghost and that's my purpose, I have no choice but to continue to haunt you." Sanosuke halted mid-swallow as Saitou abruptly stood and closed the gap between them, straddling Sanosuke's thighs and taking the bottle as his knees caged Sanosuke's hips. 

Sanosuke almost choked but caught himself and swallowed hard, sake burning his mouth where it lingered too long, "S-Saitou?"

"I believe this is where we had left off." Saitou descended. He swallowed the sake-warmed gasp as it broke off and warily slipped his tongue past Sanosuke's parted lips, waiting for hesitation or worse–rejection. Unlike their previous encounter, when time and discretion had caused Saitou to cut the unplanned moment short, Sanosuke returned the kiss as his initial shock faded into want. Another muffled sound rumbled long and low between them as earthen eyes fell shut and Saitou could not resist the smirk that pulled at his lips. He pressed hard against the younger man's mouth in an effort to quell his amusement before he said something that would undoubtedly result in thrown fists. Withdrawing only slightly, he nipped delicately at the slickened pout as it began to turn into a disappointed frown, "acceptable, ahou?"

"Hell yes..." It was spoken breathlessly as that frown reversed and Sanosuke's left arm found hold around Saitou's lower back. He pulled closer, fingers tightening against bare skin as two tucked themselves beneath the top of Saitou's pants. Matching bandaged arms were crushed between them in Sanosuke's forgetfulness and it was he who immediately hissed and flinched away, as much as the wall behind him allowed, as his wounds were so much fresher, "fuck, ow!"

"Moron." Saitou bit out and, with a thud, he abandoned the jug he still held. Grabbing Sanosuke's left hand from where it had halted, Saitou guided it to his shoulder. No coaxing was required as Sanosuke took control again and palmed higher to Saitou's neck, fingers tangling in the loose hair at his nape. "What the hell happened to you anyway?"

Sanosuke used his new handhold to pull Saitou to him once more, cautious of their arms. Sanosuke kissed him deeply, dizzying in its length, before turning and pressing his cheek to Saitou's, catching his breath. The answer Saitou received was accompanied by a coy hum against the ear just within reach of Sanosuke's tongue, "ahhh this is nothing, you should see the other guy."

**Author's Note:**

> Saitou was injured in the Hokkaido arc, chapter 6, by Byakuya. 
> 
> The fight Sanosuke returned from is the one from Hokkaido arc chapter 26-30, against the Kenkaku Heiki's Ono Tomitaka, The Axe. Written before chapter 31 was released.
> 
> [Hokkaido Arc translated by Dtninja](https://dtninja481.wixsite.com/dtninjavillage/ruroken-the-hokkaido-arc?fbclid=IwAR3Gsi0k1581AyUAy6zfV_-YcdF6kFC6ALSOF2ZXWYDvP2M9ixpq5MaG1YU)


End file.
